The old man’s face was a mask of anger, and his wording abounded with sullen fury. He would have been fine if he held his tongue, but once he started talking, he could hardly stop. It reached the point where he didn’t need any egging on from the Captain. He just angrily vented his fury, getting more and more worked up, until finally he ran out of words. At that point, he took a deep, shuddering breath. The pressure within him had finally been largely relieved.

The Captain’s eyes glimmered with empathy. “You’ve had it really rough. Do you think you can determine who’s responsible?”

“After thinking back to enemies I’ve made, I’ve narrowed it down to three people. And I’d say there’s a seventy to eighty percent chance it was orchestrated by Master Fieldcripple!”

The old man gritted his teeth and his eyes shone with resolution. A moment passed and he took out two bags of holding which he gave to the Captain. Then he looked at Xu Qing.

“Our meeting must be predestined affinity. I know the two of you Fellow Daoists are more complicated than you seem, and I know my place in the world. I won’t say anything to anyone. If you can’t show respect in small things, how can you expect it in big things? Let’s be friends.”

The Captain laughed heartily as he took the bags of holding and scanned them with divine sense. It was full of amazing items. Smiling radiantly, he cordially said, “We’re already good friends! Just remember to find my temple later on and leave an incense stick there!”

“Definitely!” the old man said solemnly. Clasping hands to Xu Qing, he bid farewell and left.

Watching him leave, the Captain patted the bags of holding contentedly. Of course, considering the old man had seen the Red Moon Cathedral cultivators locked in place unmoving, there was the inherent possibility that it could lead to his own cover being blown. But the Captain wasn’t too worried about that. After all, grandpa was around….

Upon thinking of that, the Captain blinked a few times.

“Little Ah Qing, what do you think? Should we go accept a few more missions to do along the way? This is just too convenient….”

Xu Qing shook his head and calmly said, “Unless you want to spend the entire trip back coughing up blood, I suggest you don’t accept any more missions.”

During his time interacting with the Heir Apparent, he had come to understand a bit about him. As far as he could tell, this Smoldering God ‘grandpa’ didn’t have either ill will or goodwill. Unless a situation was personally important to him, there was really no way to know if or how he would interfere. It all depended on his mood. Just because he had helped out this time didn’t mean he would do the same next time.

The Captain felt that it was a real pity. However, after thinking back to the Yin Sacrifice River, and how the heir apparent had made him cough up blood just by looking at him, he realized it was probably better not to take any risks. He did have a lot of blood, but still….

Oh well, I’m just too weak in this life, the Captain thought, thinking about the image of the ‘old man’ saying sarcastic things about him. Looking over at Xu Qing, he smiled mysteriously, as if he had just come to realize something interesting.

“Little Ah Qing, were you the one who poisoned that guy?” With that, he peered closely at Xu Qing’s facial expression.

Looking the Captain in the eyes, Xu Qing earnestly said, “That’s right. It was me. I sold it to him.”

Stunned, the Captain asked, “You joined the Moonrebel Congregation?”

That, of course, was the salient point.

Continuing to maintain the same earnest facial expression, Xu Qing nodded. “I joined a long time ago. Truth be told, I’m actually that good friend of yours, Grandmaster Pill Nine.”

The Captain had already come to suspect that this was the case, but hearing Xu Qing’s confession caused him to burst out laughing.

“You almost pulled the wool over my eyes. Well done, little Ah Qing. That said, in the end, you’re still a bit too inexperienced. I’m just too familiar with that earnest expression of yours. Every time you use it, you’re lying. Sadly, you’re just not that good at bragging. Later on, I’ll give you a few lessons.”

Xu Qing blinked a few times but didn’t say anything else as he turned to leave.

The Captain hurried after him. “Wait, little Ah Qing. Were you serious just now?”

“Very,” Xu Qing replied calmly.

“Then give me one of those painquelling lozenges to prove that you’re actually that best friend of mine.” The Captain kept his eyes on Xu Qing.

“I’m out,” Xu Qing said, shaking his head. He hadn’t done any pill concocting work with Li Youfei recently, so he really didn’t have any more painquelling lozenges.

Hearing that, the Captain laughed again. “How convenient! Now I’m sure you’re just bragging, little Ah Qing. Well, that’s fine. Sure, you’re Grandmaster Pill Nine. I believe you!”

With that, he went through the bags of holding and took out half of the items to give to Xu Qing. Then the two of them left the crater and went back to the artificial sun. After they returned, the cultivators from the Red Moon Cathedral, as well as the blood-red eye, were teleported to random locations in the area, where they fell to the ground. Seeing that caused Ning Yan, Wu Jianwu, and Li Youfei to feel even more reverence for the Heir Apparent. At the same time, they instinctively felt a lot safer.

The artificial sun flared with light as it left the Whitecloud Mountains and continued on its way to the Bitter Life Mountains. .

The Captain was right. The old man who had struggled with the poison for two months was currently speeding through the mountains coming up with a story to explain what happened to him. His tale wasn’t very different from what really happened, except he left out the part about the Red Moon Cathedral.

Meanwhile, back inside the artificial sun, the Captain was feeling very pleased with how he’d made out on the mission. Although, he was still trying to decide whether or not Xu Qing was telling the truth.

Then the Heir Apparent did something that caused his heart to lurch. The ‘grandpa’ currently held an eyeball in his hand with which he fiddled. Occasionally, he would squeeze it and look at the Captain.

Xu Qing noticed the same thing. He had long been curious about the Red Moon Cathedral’s giant heart that he first encountered in the Heavenfire Sea. Add in that the Red Moon Cathedral sent a gigantic blood-red eyeball to the Whitecloud Mountains, coupled with the Captain’s facial expression, and it got him thinking.

“Xu Qing,” the Heir Apparent said coolly. “Do you know why the Red Moon Cathedral travels around on various organs?”

Xu Qing shook his head.

The Heir Apparent smiled, then looked at the Captain with a penetrating look. “Do you know, Erniu?”

“Grandpa, I also have no clue—” Before the Captain could finish his sentence, he noticed the Heir Apparent forcefully squeezing the eyeball between his fingers, to the point where it seemed like it might get squished flat. His expression suddenly turned serious. “Wait, grandpa. I remember now!”

“Oh?” the Heir Apparent said, smiling enigmatically.

Xu Qing’s gaze fell upon the Captain. Ning Yan and everyone else also looked over at him.

The Captain took a deep breath, and his expression turned even graver. “Based on some things I read in the past, it seems that there was once a very brave, extraordinary, handsome, threatening, ultra-amazing and heroic consummate chosen. This person was supremely compassionate, and cared deeply about all living beings in existence. Upon seeing the profound misery in existence, he could have decided to live a happy life by himself, but instead made a different choice!

“Because of the bright light in his heart, and the stalwart justice in his soul, he chose to rescue the people from the fire and water. And thus, he went to the God Legion Plain to fight with Crimson Mother!

“The battle shook all of Revered Ancient. The starry sky trembled. Heaven and earth moaned in grief. This spectacular, profoundly valorous and righteous amazing chosen ended up fighting the incomparably evil Crimson Mother for three hundred years!

“During those three centuries, wild colors flashed in heaven and earth, and gale-force winds swept hither and thither. Shockwaves spread out into the starry sky, causing countless gods’ faces to fall. Innumerable living beings offered prayers on his behalf. Sadly, heaven is jealous of heroic geniuses, and in the most critical moment, his closest allies chose to betray him. That most mighty of chosen ultimately suffered defeat. However, in the end, he still managed to bite off a chunk of Crimson Mother’s flesh!”

The Captain sighed emotionally. “Crimson Mother’s animosity toward him knew no bounds, and thus ordered this chosen’s heroic and handsome body to be dismembered. And that is the origin of the organs the Red Moon Cathedral uses when they travel about….”

Ning Yan was shaken to the core. Wu Jianwu stood there with his eyes wide. Li Youfei reacted similarly. All of them felt the same thing: that the Captain had used too many adjectives, all of which basically meant the same thing.

Xu Qing said nothing, but found himself thinking back to that kidney the clay fox had offered him. He believed some of what the Captain said toward the end of the story. But the part in the beginning, such as fighting for three hundred years, he didn’t believe at all. And it wasn’t even necessary to mention how much he disbelieved all of those adjectives.

“Of course, that most amazing chosen was also immeasurably wise, and thus, before sallying forth to battle Crimson Mother, he cut off one of his ears… and left it behind for all living beings to remember him by.” The Captain cleared his throat and blinked a few times.

Xu Qing found himself visualizing the Captain’s past-self body from Mount Heavenly Ox.

“Oh really?” the Heir Apparent said coolly. “I heard that story as well, but the version I heard was a bit different. Apparently, there was a very bold and reckless fellow who hatched a scheme to get some of Crimson Mother’s flesh and blood. He snuck into this region for that purpose alone. He was a skilled fellow, and somehow managed to infiltrate the Red Moon Cathedral and become the Grand Dancer. Then, he colluded with an outside god to transform himself into a mosquito.

“Taking advantage of a time when Crimson Mother was asleep, he used a true-false transformation magic, along with the help of that outside god, to travel through Crimson Mother’s dream all the way into reality. And there, he bit deeply into Crimson Mother. Before he could even swallow that god blood, Crimson Mother smacked him to death with hēr palm.

“Crimson Mother was understandably furious with the cathedral, and ordered the godchild to seal his organs and limbs, and have them used as mounts for the cathedral from generation to generation.”

After the Heir Apparent stopped speaking, his words echoed softly in the artificial sun.

Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu had odd expressions on their faces. Li Youfei inhaled sharply, and yet, found that he was already getting used to associating with these people. Considering he was already in the presence of a Smoldering God, it didn’t seem like a very big deal to add in a mosquito who had bitten Crimson Mother.

Xu Qing looked at the Captain. As far as he was concerned, if he had to pick which version of the story seemed more in line with the Captain’s personality, it was definitely the Heir Apparent’s version.

Scoffing, the Captain quickly changed subjects. “Little Ah Qing, we’ll be in the Bitter Life Mountains in no more than half a month. How’s your medicine shop doing there? Did you pick a name for it yet? Maybe I should help you come up with one! How about the Green Ox Pharmacy? Or maybe the Super Ox Pharmacy?”

Xu Qing ignored him. He knew full well that the Captain was looking for someone else to jump into the conversation to diffuse the awkwardness.

Even though Xu Qing chose not to respond, Ling’er wasn’t willing to let things slide.

“We don’t need your help at all! We already have a name. It’s called the Green Spirit Pharmacy!” 1

Up to this point, Ling’er had been too scared of the Heir Apparent to show her face. But when the Captain seemed to be trying to steal her Big Bro Xu Qing’s reputation, that was simply pushing things too far, and she had to step out and do something.

“Green Spirit Pharmacy?” asked the Captain. Heart swelling with joy, he quickly said, “That name really isn’t good enough. How is business for our little medicine shop, by the way?”

“Business is great,” Ling’er replied proudly. “It’s a small city, and our shop is the best there is. We have over a hundred customers a day!”

“That’s pretty impressive!” the Captain said, looking amazed. “How big is the shop?”

“Very, very big!”

The more Ling’er talked, the more Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu were envisioning some amazing, paradisiac medicine shop. Even the Heir Apparent was smiling and listening closely.

And thus, time passed. The invisible sun got closer and closer to the Bitter Life Mountains. And then, when they were only five days away from the Bitter Life Mountains, the wonderful little medicine shop that Ling’er had described suddenly collapsed into rubble….

1. As I’m sure most of you remember, all three of the words Green, Ox, Spirit are characters from the names of Xu Qing, Chen Erniu, and Ling’er respectively. ☜

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